Treat Yo Self – Journal Prompt

I am going to pretend that I’m Oprah in the ’00s for a moment. No, I’m not going to emulate a mega-rich & powerful-middle-aged-black-woman. Instead, I’m going to praise the importance and power of positive thought. The key here is releasing those positive intentions into the universe in a tangible way. It is coming to a realization that anything you want is attainable. If you are like me, you’re a visual person. Putting things onto paper helps me to engage my mind into making things happen.

For this exercise, we will focus on attainable luxuries. Things that you can say to yourself one day soon: “Treat Yo-Self”. For me, these little luxuries include an afternoon nap. A manicure. New makeup. Guilt-free shopping. Going phone-free for a whole day. Having a bath with a glass of wine. These things may seem frivolous and small for some, but for me, a busy mother of two very young children, these moments are difficult to come across. Heck, even solo shower time is precious and highly coveted. Heavenly. Luxurious.

As always, the way you choose to complete this activity is flexible and fluid. My suggestions are just that, suggestions.

I am writing, collaging, and drawing my attainable visions into my journal. These are things that I will do for myself. Beside each visual, I am drawing a square. I will mark off that square when I make it happen for myself. To begin, I taped two pages together in order to have more space to work. I then wrote across the page why I deserve to indulge in these extravagant activities. I printed photographs of each beautiful vision, and used mod podge to affix them to the page. Feel free to use magazines to cut images and words to paste to your journal entry. Using different pen and markers, I wrote words and phrases to describe each one. Writing is not necessary – perhaps you prefer to paint or doodle. Maybe your spread is imagery alone. Fill your entire page (pages) with writing (if you desire) and images (drawn, magazine, or printed). In the end, you will have your ‘Treat Yo-Self” vision board, complete with goals you will achieve for yourself.

In our busy lives, it’s so rare to allow yourself the luxury of pursuing the visions you have of doing something just for you. Expressing your desire to achieve these wonderful personal treats is a way to force yourself to actually make it happen. Some items may require some planning. But so what? What in life comes easily? Everything you work for is worthwhile. And you are worthwhile. Make your visions happen.

Bri Ketler is a thirty-something mother of two, artist, crafter, and volunteer in the Calgary area. A Calgary native, she decided to spread her wings and move to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2001 to pursue a degree in the arts.She graduated with her BA in Art and Design from Edinburgh College of Art in 2005.

She worked as an Interior Designer in Calgary until her passion for art overwhelmed her desire for wealth and fame.When she is not chasing after her two young kids, she is teaching art to teen girls in need and creating dolls for her small handcrafting business, Lil’Zo.

Bri believes that art is a powerful outlet, and many internal issues can be confronted, exposed, and resolved by simply letting go and allowing oneself to be creative – even if they don’t believe they are the ‘creative type’. Everyone can benefit from getting over their fears, and simply putting pen to paper, paint to canvas, click a shutter, put hands on clay, or whatever medium one chooses. Find her online here.

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Bri Ketler is a thirty-something mother of two, artist, crafter, and volunteer in the Calgary area. A Calgary native, she decided to spread her wings and move to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2001 to pursue a degree in the arts. She graduated with her BA in Art and Design from Edinburgh College of Art in 2005.
She worked as an Interior Designer in Calgary until her passion for art overwhelmed her desire for wealth and fame. When she is not chasing after her two young kids, she is teaching art to teen girls in need and creating dolls for her small handcrafting business, Lil’Zo.
Bri believes that art is a powerful outlet, and many internal issues can be confronted, exposed, and resolved by simply letting go and allowing oneself to be creative – even if they don’t believe they are the ‘creative type’. Everyone can benefit from getting over their fears, and simply putting pen to paper, paint to canvas, click a shutter, put hands on clay, or whatever medium one chooses. Find her online here.